A Phantom With Talons (Hiatus)
by Terminus Verso
Summary: When his family died in an explosion, Danny thought getting shipped off to Vlad's was the worst of his problems. He was so wrong. A long lost family member appeared out of nowhere and gained custody of him. Everything was great in the beginning, he had no worries about turning into Dan, but it looks like his great grandfather William Cobb wants to turn him into something far worse.


He was too late. His family exploded before his very eyes. All Danny could do is fall to his knees in shock, a look of pure regret and sorrow on his face, wondering how this came to be. People scrambled on the street, sirens sounded in the distance, panicked shouts came from all around him. Danny is pretty sure someone was asking him if he is okay but he tuned everything out a long time ago. He merely stared in horror at the rubble that had once been Fenton Works. Everything had been fine when he left for school this morning. The ecto filter didn't need changed. Vlad hadn't concocted an insane plan to gain his mother's love or murder his father. Though none of that meant anything since his family was still dead.

Danny barely registered someone carefully picking him up and placing him into an ambulance as fat tears cascaded down his face. People poked and prodded him while checking his body for injures. He just sat unresponsive in the ambulance that was rushing him to the nearest hospital. Before he knew it he was laying in a bed that is as stiff as a board. The occasional sound of people rushing through the hall outside his room reached his keen ears. Danny was both emotionally and physically exhausted, his tears had long since dried up. He couldn't find the energy to do anything other than stare blankly at the ceiling. Eventually he gave into his exhaustion, curled up on his side and allowed the sound of footsteps to lull him into a dreamless slumber.

When he opened his eyes everything was wrong, the corners of his mouth turn down. His bed is uncomfortable and stiff. The ceiling above him is stark white, not sky blue with cheap glowing stars glued to it. None of his space themed posts hung on the walls. And most importantly, it did not smell like home. Instead of machine oil with a hint of ectoplasm the room reeked of various harsh cleaners and illness. The memories of the previous day hit Danny like a ton of bricks, a few tears escaped his puffy bloodshot eyes. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why was his family destined to die in a fiery explosion? … _Why is he never strong enough to save them?_

A man donning a doctor's uniform pushed open the door and strutted into the room. He had thick wavy brown hair and yellow-green eyes. His skin looked unhealthily pale. Danny was surprised the man didn't set off his ghost sense. "Ah, I see you are awake." The doctor said, his voice was rough. Kind of what you would expect a creepy person with an unmarked van to sound like. A chill went down Danny's spine as the man continued to speak. "Looks like you only have minor injuries. A few scrapes here and there, other than that you have a clean bill of health." How on earth did this man become a doctor with a voice like that? He even looked like a creep too. " _If only I had the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick…"_ Danny thought sadly, fighting back a new wave of tears.

Unfortunately, the eerie voiced doctor continued. "And lucky for you, it looks like one of your relatives will be able to take care of you." A relative would be taking care of him? Which one of his relatives could he possibly be sent to? As far as he knew, neither of his parents had any living relatives that could look after him. His father's side of the family was too eccentric and messy. And his mother's side… Well, all hate each other to say the least. His aunt Alicia is the only member of his mother's side of the family that was on good terms with them.

In Dan's timeline, Danny had no choice but to go with Vlad because his parents made the crazy fruit-loop his godfather. And that timeline just turned out so _perfect,_ didn't it? His human half was dead and his ghost half was running wild, mad with grief. Maybe Clockwork altered the timeline so he wouldn't be stuck with Vlad. As much as Danny wanted to believe that, it was extremely unlikely. Clockwork may have bent the rules for him before, but there was only so much the Master of Time could do before he got in trouble. So why is there suddenly a relative he can live with?

"One of my relatives?" Danny questioned, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't help feeling a little suspicious. A relative couldn't just appear out of thin air. It had to be a scheme of some kind. An elaborate plot set up by Vlad, the 'GIW', or a ghost.

"Yes. He'll be here to pick you up soon." The doctor stated before quickly walking out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Danny sat on the hospital bed dumbfounded. As he was pondering the possibilities of what all this could mean he failed to notice a man silently step into the room.

"Good evening, Daniel." the man greeted. Danny was so startled by the man's sudden appearance he nearly jumped off the bed. He stared, wide eyed at the man and barely – _just barely_ – fought off the urge to suck him into a Fenton Thermos. The man looked ghastly. So much so that Danny was impressed the disturbing male failed to set off his ghost sense. But regardless of that fact, Danny didn't want to rule out the possibility of him being a ghost just yet.

The raven haired male standing confidently in front of him is well built – his black dress shirt did nothing to hide the defined muscles underneath – but the thing that stood out the most is his deathly pale complexion and black veins. Based on his posture, it was safe to assume he had a lot of combat experience. That worried Danny a little bit. If they had to go toe-to-toe in a fight Danny doubted he would be the victor. And his eyes. Looking him in the eyes was even worse than being stared down by Pariah Dark. The lifelessness in the eerie yellow eyes could rival that of Danny's own icy blue eyes. How could someone be alive but look so dead? Even halfas don't look like they just crawled out of their grave. Unlike this man who, Danny suspected, recently dug out of his grave.

" _How did he sneak up on me?!_ " Danny thought, disturbed by the fact someone managed to sneak up on him. No one – not even his mother – could catch him by surprise. His ghost sense usually allowed him to pick up on the presence of other living and non-living creature, yet, this man had practically no presence at all.

Danny stared at the relatively young looking man, and the man stared back. His piercing yellow eyes bore straight into Danny's soul. It was almost as if the strange man was sizing him up, taking in every detail so he can use it against Danny later. It took all of his willpower to not shudder under the man's unnerving gaze.

"Who are you?" Danny demanded, tired of the man's observant eyes picking apart his very soul.

"I am William Cobb, your great grandfather." The man – William replied. Leaving Danny to ponder how someone so young looking could be his _great_ grandfather. Sure, he didn't know too much about either sides of his family, but there was no way William could be a great grandfather. Unless, some of his relatives had very unique love lives. While Danny believed love could come in all forms, he did not – no, refused to believe – he is related to this _shell_ _of a man_. Danny would call him a living ghost, but that wouldn't be fitting. Ghosts have emotions, and this man – _William_ – had no emotions at all. If he did then Danny would be able to sense them. Referring to him as an echo or shadow would imply there is something left to emulate. For a lack of better words, the man before him is a shell. A being with a body and absolutely nothing left inside.

"I am Daniel Fenton, but you already knew that." Danny said, as politely as possible. As happy as he was about not being forced to live with Vlad, Danny wouldn't trust this stranger. Not until he proved to have no relation to the 'GIW' or Vlad. Until then Danny can not afford to let down his guard.


End file.
